Ported shoe guide



Aug, 23, 1932.

A. B CROWELL PORTED SHOE GUIDE Filed March 8. 1927 ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES ALVIN B. CROWELL, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS PORTED SHOE GUIDE Application filed March 8,

This invention is a shoe guide for a string of well casing, and it is the object of the invention to provide for circulation of a washing medium downwardly through astring of casing all-the way to its lower end and thence upwardly in the surrounding bore while maintaining the string of casing in lowered position with the shoe guide resting upon the formation seat.

It is a further object of the invention to provide the shoe guide with peripheral ports adapted for discharge of a washing medium v into the surrounding well bore while the shoe guide rests upon the formation seat; and to arrange the ports so as to impart a circular movement to the flow of the washing medium discharged therethrough.

It is a still further object of the invention to mount the ported shoe guide on a string of o casing having a ported section adapted for discharge of cementing material intothe surrounding bore, and to adapt the shoe guide for anchoring a plug inserted in the casing, so as to shut-offthe bore of the casing immediately below its ported section and also close the ports of the shoe guide.

Further objects of the. invention will be readily understood from the following description of the accompanying drawing, in

which: I

Fig. 1 is a-vertical section through a well bore showing a string of casing and its shoe guide constructed in accordance with the invention, with the parts shown partly in ,axial 'section and arranged for circulation of a washing medium prior to a cementing operation.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in position for the cementing operation.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged axial section through the shoe guide.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

A usual string of easing A is received in the well bore B, and is provided at its lower end with a shoe guide 1 adapted to rest uponthe formation seat C. The space in the well bore surrounding the string of casing 50 is adapted for circulation of a washing medi- 1927. Serial No. 178,682.

um therethrough, and may then be cemented off in accordance with usual practice.

The shoe guide provides for circulation of a washing medium downwardly through the entire string of casing and thence outwardly through the shoe guide and upwardly in the surrounding bore; and for this purpose ports 2 open through the sides of the shoe guide above its converging seating end 3, so that the washing medium may flow downwardly 80 through the casing to its very bottom and thence through the ports 2 and upwardly in the surrounding bore while the shoe guide remains resting on the formation seat.

The ports 2 are preferably angularly dis- 55 posed with relation to radii of the shoe guide, with all of said ports inclined in the same direction as shown in Fig. 4, so that a circular movement will be imparted to the flow of the washing medium discharged into the surrounding well bore; and the angular discharge through the ports is such that when striking thewall of the. bore it will tend to rotate'the shoe guide in the direction to tighten its threaded engagement 4 with the string of casing.

In order that ports 2 may be of sufiicient length to insure circular movement of the discharged flow, the wall of the shoe guide is preferably of increased thickness at said 30 ports as shown at 5, with said thickened portions of the shoe guide forming substantially radial shoulders 6 at one end and merging into the normal interior diameter of the shoe guide at their opposite circumferential end as shown at 8. The angularly disposed ports 2 open from the shoulders 6 through the thickened portions of the shoe'guide and consequently may be made of the desired appreciable length.

In order that the thickened portions 5 will not obstruct the interior bore of the shoe guide, they extend inwardly only to the diameter of the bore 10 of the usual reduced coupling collar 11 which carriers the threads 4 for connecting the shoe guide to the string of casing, and since in accordance with usual practice, this bore 10 is of the same diameter as the uniform bore of the string of casing, it will be seen that the ported shoe guide as thus described forms simply a continuation of this uniform bore.

The ported shoe guide may be mounted on the lower end of a usual string of well casing for circulating a washing medium all the way to the bottom of'the casing with the latter resting upon the formation seat; or the ported shoe guide may be used in conjunction with a ported section of the string of casing adapted for discharge of cementing material into the surrounding well bore after circulation of a washing medium. For this purpose a fixed section of the string of casing, preferably the section 15 next above the shoe guide, may be provided with ports 16. These ports are normally closed by spring pressed valves 17 mounted in grooves 18 in the outer periphery of the section 15, but the valves are adapted to open against the tension of their springs by increased pressure in the bore of the casing so as to permit discharge of cementin g material through the ports.

For the purpose of this cementing operation the bore of the casing is shut-off below ports 16 so that cementing material discharged into the casing will force the valves 17 open and the casing may be thus shut-off by means of a plug 20 which is lowered through the casing and anchors on the converging lower end 3 of the shoe guide.

The plug is adapted to slide snugly through the uniform bore of the string of casing and collar 11 to its anchored position on end 3, thereby closing the ports 2 to the bore of the casing as shown in Fig. 2; and the plug is of such length that when anchored, its upper end shuts-off the bore of the casing immedi-' ately below ports 16.

As a consequence a cementing mixture introduced into the well casing is prevented from flowing down the casing past the plug and thereby forces valves 17 open for discharge of the cement through ports 16 into the surrounding well bore. The cement fills the surrounding well bore from the point where the shoe guide rests upon the formation seat to any desired level, and is prevented from back-flow through ports 2 by plug 20 closing the latter.

' Only the proper quantity of material for cementing off to the desired level is thus discharged through ports 16, the quantity of cement being preferably measured by a travelling plug 25 forced down the well casing in back of the predetermined quantity of material.

The plugs 20 and 25 are so constructed as to permit their ready passage through the bore of the casing and at the same time prevent leakage past the plugs; and for this purpose packing may be mounted on annular shoulders 21 formed at the upper ends of the plugs by reducing their diameter as shown at 22. The packing is preferably cup-shaped packing 23 heldagainst the shoulders by followers 24 which may be secured by pins 26.

In operation a washing medium is circulated prior to the lowering of plug 20, the washing material flowing down the casing past the spring-closed valves 17 and through the ports 2 and thence upwardly in the surrounding bore as shown in Fig. 1. The plug 20 is then lowered to operative position and the predetermined quantity of the cementing material is discharged into the casing and is followed by the plug 25 which is forced downwardly by any suitable means. The bore of the casing being closed below ports 16, the pressure of the cement forces valves 17 open for discharge of the cementing mixture into the surrounding well bore, and the final arresting of plug 25 by its abutment against plug 20 indicates that all of the cement has been discharged. With the plug 25 thus seated on plug 20, the cement is prevented from back-flow into the casing, not only by the automatic closing of spring pressed valves 17, but also by the plug 25 closing the bore of the casing above ports 16 and the plug 20 closing the bore of the casing at ports 2.

I have thus provided means adapted for use in connectionwith a usual string of well casing for circulating a washing medium all the way to the bottom of the casing and thence upwardly in the surrounding bore without the necessity of lifting the casing from the formation seat; and the improved construction also provides for using the ported shoe guide which is adapted to circulate a washing medium, in connection with means for cementing the surrounding well bore subsequent to the washing operation, when such a combined operation is desired. During such cementing operation the parts are arranged so as to prevent the cement flowing downwardly through the string of easing below the level which is to be cemented, and the construction also eliminates the possibility of back-flow of cement into the casing through the ported shoe guide.

I claim:

1. The combination of a string of well casing, a shoe guide for the string of casing converging at its lower end" and having a bore therethrough, ports opening through its peripheral wall, and a'plug adapted to be lowered through the string of casing to anchor on the converging lower end of the shoe guide and close the bore and the ports of the shoe guide.

2. The combination of a string of well casing, a shoe guide for the string of easing having a bore therethrough, ports opening through its peripheral wall, and a plug adapted to be lowered through the string of casing to shut-off both the bore of the casing immediately below said ported guide and close the bore of said shoe guide and said ports.

3. The combination of a string of well casing, a hollow shoe guide for the string of casing having ports opening through its peripheral wall, and means for shutting ofl' the bore of the guide below the ports in the shoe guide said means being also adapted to simultane. ously close said ports.

4. A string of well casing adapted for reception in a well bore with its exterior surface in close proximity to the wall of the bore, said string of casing including a guide shoe having an outer surface forming a substantially uniform continuation of the exterior surface of the string of-casing and having a rounded lower portion thickened portions in its peripheral wall with ports opening through said rounded portion substantially perpendicular toaxially extending radial planes. i

' 5. A shoe guide for a string of well casing having circumferentially spaced thickened portions in its peripheral wall forming substantiallyradial shoulders at one end and merging into the normal interior diameter of the shoe guide at their opposite circumferential end, said thickened portions of the peripheral wall having ports opening therei on ' shoe against a flow of fluid.

through from said shoulders an larly to radii of the shoe guide and su stantlally along the tangent to the merging surface of said thickened ortions.

6. A shoe guide fora string of well casing converging at its lower end .and having ports opening through its peripheral wall, and means for closing said closure means into the ore of the shoe guide so as to anchor on its convergin lower end.

7. A section for a string 0 well casing, including a depending guide shoe converging at its'lower end and having ports opening through its peripheral wall, means for normally closing said ports by lowering the said closure means into the bore of the casing section and anchoring said closure means on the converging lower end of the shoe.

8. A section for a strin of well casing, including a depending gui e shoe, said shoe having ports opening through its peripheral wall, a plug adapted to belowered through the string of wellcasing and through the casing section so as to seat in the shoe and comclose the bore of the casing section.

section for a string of well casing, 1guide shoe converging pletel 9. X including a dependent at its lower end and through its peripheral wall, and closure means for the bore of the guide shoe, said closurevmeans being adapted to be lowered into the bore of the casing section and to anchor in said guide shoe on the converging lower end thereof to completely close said 10. shoe guide adapted for attachment to a section of a string of well casing and having circumferentially spaced thickened portions in its peripheral wall, a radial shoulder avingports opening at one end of each portion, said portion merging into the normal interior peripheral wall of the guide at its opposite circumferential end, said thickened portion of the peripheral wall having a port opening th'erethrough fronl said shoulder angularly to radii of the 1 e. v 11. A shoe guide adapted to be anchored to a string of well casing, and having a reduced coupling collar at its upper end, thickened peripheral wall portions below said collar extending inwardly not. beyond the prolongation of the bore of said collar, said thickened peripheral wall having ports opening therethrough which ports are substantially continuations of the inner peripheral wall of the said guide whereby the fluid will be diports by lowering said 

